Automatic cut-off pilot-burner.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN P. FARMER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES F. ADAMS, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF PlLoT-BU RN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,168, dated March 13, 1900.

Application filed November 12, 1898. Serial No. 696,268. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom] it 771,601/ concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. FARMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Gas- Burner, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gas-burners of that class used for illuminating purposes, and particularly to a by-pass and pilot-burner,wl1ere by under certain conditions a continuous iiame is provided at the pilot-burner to cause the lighting of the gas at the main burner when the main supply is opened; and the object in View is to provide automatic means for controlling the passage of gas through a by-pass to the pilot-burner to prevent the useless escape vof the gas and yet insure a fiame sufticient to ignite gas Vat lthe main burner when required.

In the usual construction of thermostatic valve-controlled means the thermostatic element has not been operated by the heat of a main burner, but instead, in order to initially operate the valve-controlling means corresponding to the pilot burner controlling mechanism of the present construction, it has been necessary to heat the thermostatic parts by means of a match or other igniting device, this operation consuming some time and entailing much annoyance. In the present construction there are provided a main burner and a pilot-burner, of which the pilot-burner has thermostatic controlling mechanism, the thermostatic element extending into the zone of heat of the main burner, so that it is only necessary to light the main burner in the usual manner, when the pilot-burner will be opened, and the gas therefrom will be ignited by the main-burner llame. Thus the pilot-burner is initially opened by means of the heat from the main burner, the heat of the pilot-burner being suiiicient to maintain it open after the flame at the main burner has been extinguished.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a View of a burner constructed in accordance with my invention, the same being shown in connection with a mantel and chimney of the ordinary construction and arrangement, which, however, are indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, the plane of the section upon which Fig..2 is taken being indicated by the line 2 2 Fig. 4 is a detail View, partly in section, of a pilot-burner having a slightlymodified construction ot' means for varying the relative positions of the valve and seat. Fig. 5 is a detail vieu1 of still another modiedconstruction of valve and seat adjusting devices.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The main burner l0, which is carried by the supply-pipe or bracket-arm 11, may be of any ordinary or preferred construetion,that which is indicated in the drawings being of a type adapted to be employed in connection with an incandescent mantel 12 and chimney 13,

(indicated in dotted lines,) said main burner having a valve or key 14 for controlling the communication of gas to the burner.

In communication with the main gas-supply channel of the burner, in front of the controlling valve or key and preferably formed in a lateral venlargement 15 of the main burner, is a channel 16, forming a bypass, through which gas is adapted to flow, Whether the controlling valve or key 14: is open or closed. In order that the flow of gas through this by-pass may be regulated, I

preferably employa regulating-valve 17, prol vided with a threaded stem18, which may be 'constructed in the form of a'screw with a IOO is expansible when heated. In the construction illustrated this pilot-burner consists of a tube threaded or otherwise removablyfitted at its lower extremity in a socket 22, formed in the above-described lateral burner extension 15, said socket in turn being in communication with the by-pass 16, and said burner-tube terminates at its upper end in a reduced burner orifice or outlet 23, which is adapted to supply only sufficient gas to support a thin pencil-like fiame, which, bein glocated adjacent to the main-burner outlet, is in position to ignite gas escaping from the main -burner outlet. Also located in the burner-tube 2l at a suitable point, preferablynear the orifice 23, is a controlling-valve seat 24, and in operative relation therewithV cally unaffected by heat or of which the ratio.

of expansion when subjected to heat is less than that of the tube forming the pilotburner, whereby when the pilot-burner is exposed to heat, due either to a flame at` the.

main burner or at the orifice of the pilotburner, the tube will be expanded longitudinallyto a sufficient degree to remove the seat 24 from contact with the Valve 25, and thus allow the escape of gas through the orifice 23; also, gas thus escaping from the orifice 23 is adapted to be ignited by proximity to a fiame at the main burner. Thus gas escaping from either the main or the pilot burner is yadapted to be ignited by a flame existing at the other burner, and therefore when the main supply valve or key 14 is turned to admit gas to the main burner and the gas thus escaping is ignited the heat caused thereby will expand the thermostatic burner tube or shell 2l to open the controlling-valve 25, whereupon gas escaping through the orifice 23 will be ignited. Thus it Will be seen that the pilotburner is initially opened for the flow of gas therefrom under the iniiuence of heat from the main burner. Now if the main supply valve or key is closed to cut off the liow of gas to the main burner the flowwill still con- `tinue through the pilot-burner, and a constant iiame at the pilot-burner tip will be maintained,whereupon the subsequent opening of the supply valve or key to admit gas to the main burner will be accompanied by the automatic lighting of the gas at the main burner through the proximity of the flame at the pilot-burner. On the other hand, if the iiame at the pilot-burner is extinguished, (the valve 14 being closed,) the contraction of the pilot-burner shell or tube, due to the cooling thereof, Will seat the controllingvalve 25, and thus cut off further escape of gas through the pilot-burner.

In order that the relative positions of the controlling-valve 25 and its seat may be ad justed to secure the efficient seating of said valve when the burner shell or tube is cooled or is unaffected by heat at either of the burners and also to secure the efficient unseating of said valve when the burner shell or tube is heated by a dame at either of the burners, a variety of means may be employed; butin the construction illustrated in Figs. l and 2 I have threaded the lower extremity of the regulating valve stem 2G into a suitable guide 27, formed in the bottom of the socket 22 and provided at its extremity With a key or Wrench seat 2S, and also have threaded a lock-nut 29 upon the exposedextremity of said stem to secure the latter at the desired adjustment. This rod forming the valvestem 2G may be adjusted axially to vary the position of the valve with relation to the seat 24 by applying a wrench or key to the seat 28, the lock-nut 29 previously being loosened. In Fig. 4, however, I have .illustrated a slightly-modified construction of means for adjusting the relative positions of the controlling-valve and seat, wherein the burnertip 30, in which is formed the gas-orice 23a, is threaded upon the pilot-burner shell or tube 2li* and carries the valve-seat 242L for adjustment toward and from the controllingvalve 25, the lower end of the valve-stem 26a being `'fixed in the lateral burner eXtension 15, and in Fig. 5 I have illustrated another vmodification of these adjusting devices, wherein the separate pilot-burner tip 30 is threaded Withinthe burner shell or tube 2l". In either case the valve and its seat are relatively adjustable to secure an efficient seating of the valve when the burner shell or tube is not exposed to heat due to a flame at either of the burners.

The automatic operation of the controllingvalve for the pilot-burner will be readily understood from the foregoingdescription, and it will be seen that to initially open the pilotburner there is no more labor or time expended than in vlighting the usual burner where no thermostatic closure is involved. It Willbe obvious, furthermore, that various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacriticing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. The combination with a main burner having a by-pass, an adjacent pilot-burner having a shell communicating with the bypass, a controlling device for the pilot-burner comprising a valve and a seat, and a thermostatic element connected with one member of the controlling device and extending into the zone of heat of the main .burner to be energized to operate the controlling device.

2. The combination of a main burner having a communicating ley-pass, an adjacent pilot-burner having a thermostatic shell communicating with said by-pass and extending into the Zone of heat of the main burner to be IIO energized thereby, a valve-seat carried by the shell, and a iixed valve adapted to seat and unseat with respect to said valve-seat as the shell contracts and expands to control the bypass.

3. The combination of a inain burner having a communicating by-pass, an adjacent pilot-burner communicating with said by-pass and having a thermostatic shell extending into the zone of heat of the .main burner to be energized and carrying a valve-seat, and a iixed outlet-controlling valve arranged in operative relation with said seat, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a main burner, of a by-pass in permanently-open communication with the supply-channel of the main burner, an adjacent pilot-burner having a thermostatic shell in communication With said by-pass and havin g a valve-seat, said shell extending into the zone of heat of the main burner to be energized, and a valve arranged in operative relation With said seat carried by the shell, substantially as specified.

5. A main burnerhaving asnpply valve or key and a lateral by-pass uncontrolled by the key, a pilot-burner having a thermostatic shell carried by the main burner in communication with said by-pass, said shell extending into the zone of heatof the main burner to be energized, and a controlling-valve arranged in operative relation with a seat in said thermostatic shell, substantially as specied.

G. The combination With a main burner having a supply valve or key and a by-pass, of an adjacent pilot-bu-ruer supported by the main burner in communication with said bypass and having a thermostatic shell extending into the zone of heat of the main burner to be energized, controlling-valve mechanism actuated by said thermostatic shell, and a regulating-valve for the by-pass, substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a main burner having a supply valve or key and a by-pass, of an adjacent pilot-burner supported by the main burner in communication with said bypass and having a thermostatic shell extending intothe zone of heat of the main burner to be energized, controlling-valve mechanism actuated by said thermostatic shell, and a regulating-valve for said by-pass, having a threaded terminally-exposed stenn'substantially as speciiied.

8. The combination with a main burner having a supply valve or key and a by-pass, of an adjacent pilot-burner supported by the main burner in'communication with said bypass and having a thermostatic shell extending into the zone of heat of the main burner to be energized, controlling-valve mechanism actuated by said thermostatic shell, said bypass terminating in a valve-seat in the Wall of the main-burner feed-channel, and a regu` lating-valve having an adjustable stem fitted in the Wall of the main-burner feed-channel forV axial movement to vary the position of said regulating-valve with relation to the terminal valve-seat of the by-pass, substantially as specified.

9. The combination of a main burner having a lateral bracket, a supply valve or key controlling the gas-supply channel, and a bypass communicating with said supply-channel and uncontrolled by said valve or key, a pilot-burner having a thermostatic shell tted in a recess in said bracket in communicaa valve arranged in operative relation with said seat, and having its stem extending through the shell and an alined guide in said bracket, and terminally exposed for adjustment, substantially as specified.

lO. The combination with a main burner having a supply valve or key and a by-pass, of an adjacent pilot-burner havingathermostatic shell in communication with said bypass, and also provided with a controllingvalve seat, a valve arranged in operative relation with said controlling-valve seat, and a valve-stem for the controlling-valve threaded in a fixed guide and terminally exposed for adjustment, and locking devices for securing said stem at the desired adjustment, substantially as specified.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aliixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN P. FARMER.

Witnesses:

W. H. MERRICK, ORPHA C. FARMER. 

